Overhead-railway switch.



No. 802,119. PATENTED 00T. 17, 1905.

, F. SCHRAUDNER.

OVERHEAD RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 802,119. PATBNTBD OCT. 17, 1905. F. SCHRAUDNER.

OVERHEAD RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15.1905. Y

2 SHEETS-SHEET P.,

UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK SCHRAUDNER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO GUS V. BRECHTBUTCHERS SUPPLY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,

A CORPORATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1905 Application iiled June 15,1905. Serial No.265,332.

To @l zul/tom it may concer-7b:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK SCHRAUD- NER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overhead RailwaySwitches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this speciiication.

My invention relates to a switch for overhead-railway tracks such as arecommonly used in factories, stores, and other places for the conveyanceof merchandise from one point to another.

Figure I is a top or plan view of my switch with the parts in thepositions assumed when the carriage suspended from the overhead track isto be switched onto a side track. Fig. II is a side elevation of theswitch with the parts in the positions seen in Fig. I. Fig. III is a topor plan view of the switch with the parts in the positions assumed whenthe carriage suspended from the track is to be directed on the maintrack. Fig. IV is a vertical transverse section taken on line IV IV,Fig. I. Fig. V is a vertical transverse section taken on line V V,Fig-III. Fig. VI is a vertical cross-section taken on line VI VI, Fig.II.

l designates the main-.track rails, and 2 a side-track rail, of anoverhead railway.

A designates the hanger of my switch,whi'ch is composed of a tablememberv 3, having a ledge 3 and secured to the main-track rails l, sidearms 4 projecting laterally from said table member 3 and having verticalwings 5, the said arms being united by a tie-piece 6. Secured to thevertical Wings 5 are guide-plates 7, that are provided with iiangeswhich overhang the upper edges of the wings to furnish guideways 8between the upper edges of the wings and said iianges, in which a partto be hereinafter mentioned operates. The arms 4 are provided at theirinner ends and at their top side adjacent to the table member 3 withfiat runway-surfaces 4.

9 designates a main-line switch-rail section which is adapted to bebrought into alinement or registration with the main-line rails l andwhich rides upon the flat runway-surfaces 4 of the side arms 4: and ontothe table member 3. Integral with the rail-section 9 and projecting'rearwardly therefrom is a plate 10, that is provided with guide-arms l1,which operate between and in contact with the side arms l to direct thetravel of the rail-section when it is reciprocated to and away from themain-line rails.

12 represents tongues projecting downwardly from the rail-section plate10, as seen most clearly in Figs. IV and V and which are adapted toengage beneath the ledge 3' of the table member 3 when the rail-section9 is moved into alinement with the main-track rails, whereby saidrail-section is held depressed and firmly seated upon the table member.

13 designates a side-track rail-section that when the main-trackswitch-rail section 9 is retracted is adapted to be moved forwardly ontothe table member 3 to place a side-track rail 2 in registration with oneof the maintrack'rails I, as seen in Figs. I, II, and IV. Thisrail-section 13 is curved to correspond to the degree of divergency ofthe side-track rails, and it is integral with a plate 14, the rearportion of which is curved upwardly and backwardly and provided withguide-arms 15, that, in conjunction with the curved portion of theplate, ride in the arc of a circlein the runways 8, provided by thevertical wings of the side arms A and the guide-plates 7 fitted to saidwings. By this construction provision is made for the travel of theside-track switch-rail section in an upward course of reciprocationabove the path of horizontal reciprocation of the switch-rail section 9,whereby each switch-rail section is moved in a path of travel that willavoid conflict with the other switch-rail section.

16 designates a rock-shaft journaled in the rear ends of the side arms lof the switch. To this rock-shaft is fixed a lever having a throw-arm 17extending in one direction from the rock-shaft and a throw-arm 18extending in the opposite direction from said shaft. The throw-arm 18 isweighted through the medium of a counterbalance-weight 19, located atits termination and provided at one side with a stop-boss 20.

2l is a link pivoted at 22 to the lever-arm 17 and at 23 to ears carriedby the switch-rail section 9 and through the medium of which saidswitch-rail section is reciprocated in a horizontal line to carry itinto alinement With Ioo` the main-track rails and rearwardly out ofalinementA with said rails when the lever of which said arm 17constitutes a part is swung to and fro.

24 is a link pivoted at 25 to the lever throwarm 18 and at 24 to ears14', carried by the plate of the switch-rail section 13. This link actsto impart reciprocation to the plate 14 and the switch-rail section 13in a curved course corresponding to the arc of the runways 8, in whichsaid plate 14 travels.

26 is a pull-chain attached to the lever throwarm 17 and through themedium of which said arm is actuated to swing the lever of which itforms a part to operate the links 21 and 24 to cause them to performtheir offices of reciprocating the switch-rail sections to which theyare united.

When the parts of my switch are in the positionsillustrated in Figs. I,II, and IV, they are located for the travel of the overhead carriage.

from the main track to the switch-track. To reverse the positions of theswitch-rail sections and throw the side-track rail-section 13 out ofregistration with the main track and the side track and advancethemain-lineswitch-rail section 9 to the main-track rails, the parts areacconnection between the lever and said lastnamed rail-section providedby the link 21. When it is desired to shift the rail-sections into theirformer positions, the lever is again thrown into the opposite positionby a pull upon the chain 26, thereby causing the links 21 and 24 toimpart reciprocation to the railsections. It will beseen that onerail-section is advanced in such instance while the other is retractedand that due to their moving in different lines of travel there is noconflict in their movement. It will also be seen that the pivot-point22, at which the link 21 is united to the lever throw-arm 17, is 'sodisposed that when the straight-track switch-rail section 9 is moved tothe main-line rails said pivotpoint passes the line of dead-centerbetween the rock-shaft 16, that carries the lever, and the pivot-point23, at which the forward end of the link 21 is connected to therail-section 9. As a consequence said link is held against accidentalmovement while said rail-section is in alinement with the main-trackrail. The lever is also restrained from movement and the switch-railsection 13 is held retracted while the rail-section 9 is inadvancedposition, due to the existence of the counterbalanceweight 19,carried by the lever throw-arm 18. The stop 20, carried by thecounterbalanceweight, serves asa restricting member to limit the forwardmovement of the switch-section 13 when it is moved into advancedposition, dueto said stop striking against the link 24, as seen mostclearly in Fig. IV.

vI claim as my invention- 1. In an overhead-railway switch, thecombination of a h anger, a main-track rail-section reciprocallysupported by said hanger, a side-track rail-section reciprocallysupported by said hanger, a rockingly-supported lever, and linksindependently connected to said lever and' one of which is connected tosaid main-track rail-section and the oth er of which is connected tosaid side-track rail-section, substantially as set forth.

2. In an overhead-railway switch, the conibination of a hanger, amain-track rail-section reciprocally supported by said hanger, aside-track rail-section reciprocally supported by said hanger, a leverrockingly supported intermediate of its ends and consisting of a pair ofthrow-arms, a link pivoted to one of said throw-arms and looselyconnected to said main-rail section, and a link pivotally connected tothe other throw-arm and loosely connected to said side-trackrail-section, substantially as set forth.

3. In an overhead-railway switch, the combination of a hanger providedwith vertical wings having curved runways, a rail-section memberarranged to travel in said runways and carrying a rail-section, a secondrail-section member reciprocally supported by said hanger, and means forreciprocating said firstnamed rail-section member in a curved path insaid runways and said last-named rail-section member in a straight path,substantially as set forth.

4. In an overhead-railway switch, the combination of a hanger, a pair ofrail-sections reciprocally supported by said hanger, links connected tosaid rail-sections,and a rockinglymounted lever comprising throw arms towhich said links are pivoted; one of said throwarms being provided witha counterbalanceweight, substantially as set forth.

5. I-n an overhead-railway switch, the combination of a hanger, a pairof rail-sections reciprocally supported by said hanger, links connectedto said rail-sections, a rockinglymounted lever comprising throw arms towhich said -links are pivoted; one of said throw-arms being providedwith a counterbalance-weight, said counterbalance-weight being providedwith a stop arranged to engage one of said links, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

FREDERICK SCHRAUDNER.

In presence of- NELLIE V. ALEXANDER, BLANCHE HOGAN.

IOO

ITO

